US National Animal Disease Centre in Ames has new director

The federal government's largest animal disease laboratory has a new
director.

Kurt Zuelke, an animal reproductive physiologist, is the new head of the US
Department of Agriculture's National Animal Disease Center in
Ames.

Zuelke has served as research leader at a biotechnology
laboratory in Maryland for the last five years. He was officially appointed in
April after a yearlong international recruitment process.

Zuelke's
recent research focused on discovering and understanding the molecular
mechanisms that lead to early embryonic death in swine. Zuelke also oversaw
research at the Maryland lab, employing biotechnology to combat disease in dairy
cattle.